Everything From Virginia Tech HC Mike Young After Saturday's Win Over GMU

Virginia Tech men's basketball head coach Mike Young spoke to the media after the team's 73-62 victory over George Mason. Here's the entirety of what Young had to say:

Opening statement:

"Our team was ready to play. Had to be. George Mason's good and came in 9-0. Some pretty gaudy statistics coming in on both ends of the floor. [Kory] Mincy and [Jahari] Long are a load. They're good players. Allan Spock has played well for them. Coming back from the Bahamas, we had a terrible travel day on Saturday. We weren't very good on Sunday. We had to win the South Carolina game. There's nothing easy about that, we got it in overtime. Was able to get them home. We didn't do very much at all on Wednesday. They may have given them off, but we're rested again and we had good practices on Thursday and Friday. I thought both ends of the floor. The game is easier when it's going in the basket. Great sharing. That's a big deal in in the game. The ball's got to have energy. The ball's got to move. [Neo] Avdalas and Ben Hammond and Tyler Johnson, all of them, Amani Hansberry's an exceptional passer. Amani had six assists and one turnover. The ball moved and Jaden [Schutt] had one of those nights where everything he shot went in the basket and that never upsets the head coach."

Q: Obviously beating South Carolina and then a previously unbeaten George Mason team. Just how much does that help build confidence?

"Good. Long way to go and Western Carolina on Thursday, we're going to get better. We've got to continue to get better. But that performance certainly propels us on to Monday's practice and improvements to be made. We're going to make them."

On the charge to open the second half:

"Balls going to the basket [was the reason] and that's a big deal. That momentum swing. I didn't call a first-half timeout. Use it or lose it and I didn't call it, didn't think to call it. I'm not going to break that rhythm. I'm not going to break that momentum at any time. And um it was 29-26. We win at the half, 43-30. So, there's a big swing and then, we've got the ball coming out in the second half. I don't remember if we scored on the first possession, but we extended the lead to 17 and [George Mason head coach Tony Skinn] had to call timeout. So, those types of swings can really uplift your team and we certainly had that this afternoon."

On Hansberry operating as the team's connector:

"There's nothing I don't like. All right. He might make a mistake. He might have a defensive lapse, but the kid is brilliant. He's not smart, he's flipping brilliant on both ends of the floor. And to see that big rascal out there handling the ball and dribble handoff and zoom, all this stuff. He's the straw. He's the straw that stirs it. And Avdalas I thought was very good again. Neo six assists, only two turnovers. Good floor game, had a positive 14 plus-minus. Good night from all of them. I'm telling you Christian Gurdak, Antonio Dorn, Tyler Johnson was really good. Ben Hammond again. So, great."

On Ben Hammond:

"I don't like playing without him. Golly day, looks like the Energizer Bunny out there. So, you want to [handle it] like reigns on a horse. You want to pull him back a little bit. He botched a couple, but he changes us and it allows us to get Neo off the top a little bit, into some other actions that I find beneficial. But Ben Hammond is a darn good one and had another good afternoon for us today."

On Mason's efficient offense, Tech holding them to 40% from field (33% from three) and what Young liked about their defense:

"We had a great couple of days of preparation. And we had their attention. They had our attention at 9-0. We knew it was going to be a big game. That's a Quad 2, Quad 1 win, whatever it is. I think it'll stay there. I think Tony's got a good team. I think they'll do well in the A-10. Just a team ready to compete, a team ready to fight and they did that for 40 minutes."

On Jaden Schutt's performance (18 points, 6-for-13 from field, 6-for-12 from three):

"He's done it for a long time now. He's not a kid. I think this is his fourth year of college basketball. [Editor's note: Young is correct. Schutt is a redshirt junior.] He's been healthy [this year]. His first two years he was dinged up and didn't have the opportunity to work on his game and work on his body the way we need to as young people developing through the ranks. He's been healthy for quite some time now. Please goodness, stay that way. Consequently, looks great. I mean, his weight's 210, somewhere in there. He's playing strong. He's guarding so much better than he did a year ago. I cannot compliment Jaden Shu more. He's a darn good ball player."

On what George Mason did offensively that allowed them to hang in the contest:

They got a good basketball team. They got good players. Uh, Mincy's played a lot. Transferred there from [Presbyterian]. Long. They got good-looking young people. They're well coached. They run good things. Steve Curran. Steve [Editor's note: Curran is the associate head coach.] came from St. Bonaventure. Have great respect for him, admiration of doing some of the same things offensively that are hard to get your eyes on and defend if you're not on top of your game. But we were today."

On what Tech did defensively to combat GMU's off-ball movement-heavy offense

"You got to load. You want to play five versus their three. All right. But now as the ball is coming back to you, you've got to reshape your defense. You got to get more head up but maintain your gap integrity. It's a daily struggle. What's really hard is in transitions. You're all spread out and Mincy is a demon with some of that stuff. Probably as good a performance as we've had defensively, from start to finish."

On Hansberry's IQ, fluidity and how he's grown within the offense:

[Editor's note: Young mentioned that his breath was knocked out by Hansberry after he gave the forward a fist bump.]

"I think he's been fluid. I think it's a matter of... Fellas, this is hard. You're bringing in so many new faces. And I see other programs, you're bringing in so many new [faces], it doesn't just happen. It doesn't just happen because you're doing more and practicing during the summer and you start practice. Good God, it's like we never stop starting practice for real. September 23rd and you've got 30 going into your first game. It takes time and it really takes time because of that ball. That ball requires timing, and it requires execution. It requires people moving in concert with one another, screening, cutting, passing. What's a good shot? What's a bad shot? I thought our shot selection tonight was very good. So that would be my response, it takes a little time. Amani has been fluid with it since he got here, but the other kids or the other his teammates are finding out how best to play with him."

On what the team spent doing with Schutt in the offseason:

"Just getting better and just pray to goodness he continues to stay healthy. He's been healthy here. He had the thumb. He still wears a protective thing on his thumb. Nothing goofy. You ever jam your thumb? It's awful. It's terrible. I was a really a bad player. But that's more protective than anything. But man, he's moving great. He's cutting great and when that leather hits his hands, he's ready to roll."

On Schutt being the team's offensive spark:

"I love the punch that we're getting from Schutt and Ben Hammond. Ben Hammond and Jaden Schutt are starters. It drives me crazy, let me assure you this, Jaden Schutt is probably going to finish a lot of games and that would be a lot more important to me as a player. Ben Hammond's going to finish a lot of games. I like the rotation that we have right now. And this team is continuing to get better. We got another opportunity on Thursday. I'm looking forward to it."